The U.S. Small Business Administration has released the first report in a series on “trends in entrepreneurship.” The first report is called The Missing Millennial Entrepreneurs. It is an interesting read that is highlighted by the declining self-employment numbers overall. After reading the report, there were two things that stood out to me the most. First, self-employment … [Read more...]
Small Business and Sustainability
When talking about sustainable business practices, we tend to focus on what large, multinational corporations need to be doing differently. We criticize McDonald's and Apple for their business practices. Of course, we are correct in doing so---for pushing these companies to act more sustainably. However, small businesses and small business owners can – and should – also take … [Read more...]
Starting a Business? Here’s What You Need to Know [Infographic]
Globally, the median amount required to start a business is $15,000, but 29% of businesses fail when the owner runs out of money. That’s because 82% of startup funding comes directly from the owners or their families. Only one out of 100 entrepreneurs will ever get venture capital to help make their businesses successful. [Tweet "Only 1 in 100 entrepreneurs will get venture … [Read more...]
4 Red Flags Aspiring Freelancers Should Avoid
The freelancer boom has created a major shift in varying sectors, beginning with finance, content design, writing, real estate, and more. In fact, a 2014 study by the Freelancers Union indicates that 53 million people in the US are doing part-time work, making up around 34% of its national workforce. According to the Freelance Talent Report, 90% of independent … [Read more...]
Hey Wantrepreneur: Here’s How to Become an Entrepreneur
I never really understood what “putting myself out there” actually meant until I became an entrepreneur. I know the feeling all to well of wanting to hide behind my computer, hide behind the camera, or even hide behind my brand name. Because of the viral nature of the internet, there are so many opportunities to look like a fool. For instance, I’ve definitely had to delete a … [Read more...]
3 Steps for Starting Your Own Business
Passion. Creativity. Passion. Marketing Plan. Passion. Support Network. The key ingredient to successfully starting your own business is your passion---your conviction of the viability and merits of the goods and/or services you offer; your total, unwavering commitment to seeing it through; your ability to work whatever hours that are needed and your personal mantra - “I … [Read more...]
Top 10 States for Women-Owned Small Businesses
According to the Thumbtack Small Business Friendliness Survey, New Hampshire is the best state for a woman to open a small business. New Hampshire also ranked as the second friendliest state for both male and female entrepreneurs. Texas took the top spot overall and came in second for women-owned businesses. The researchers surveyed 18,000 small business owners across the … [Read more...]
3 Tips to Match Your Message to Your Market
You know that you must stand out in the marketplace, right? You know that the chances are there are innumerable people who sell what you have to offer, so the only way you can get their attention is to stand out boldly. How can you do this? You cannot just claim to be an expert and leave it at that. Lots of people do that, so how can people choose to work with you? Here are … [Read more...]
Find Reliable Business Feedback by Avoiding Nay Sayers and the Yes Group
When you are starting or growing a business, you typically can’t do it all alone---even in the early stages where the first steps might be proof of concept and customer validation, which are fancy ways of saying you're finding out if your idea is as great as you think it is and getting an idea of the demand for your idea in the market. This may mean conducting a survey or … [Read more...]
You Cannot Baby Anyone into Being Successful
Sometimes, I speak to people who have dabbled at entrepreneurship and when you ask them why they did not succeed, they start to tell me about all the reasons why someone else is responsible for their failure and I listen in quietly. On the other hand, some days I speak to business owners who are building a team and trying to accelerate the growth of that team and they are … [Read more...]